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Businesses could have saved Stabroek News
Dear Editor,
The Peeper correctly blamed the public in Guyana and the diaspora for SN’s closure. SN started as a weekly in November 1986 under very challenging times. Hoyte granted a permit to publish but denied the paper newsprint or foreign currency to purchase print or pay for printing in Trinidad.
Soon, “It became flag bearer of press freedom in Guyana…it stood firm…challenged governments when necessary, exposed wrongdoing, gave voice to the voiceless, provided space for debate, including through its letter pages, and became a guardian of democratic values. Extremely painful to see it go. It costs only $100 a weekday issue.
Yet many chose not to support it. They preferred the illusion of freeness, free snippets online. In doing so, they too helped to put the final nail in the newspaper’s coffin. Support from abroad could have made a meaningful difference, but that support did not materialise in sufficient numbers”.
Businesses could have saved the paper or at a minimum extend its life if they had taken ads or multiple subscriptions. Fearing victimization, businesses avoided advertisements or association with SN and the independent press.
Peeper added: “SN did not close because Guyanese lacked money. It closed because too many lacked commitment. There was a moral obligation to defend press freedom because we all know that when press freedom goes what happens”.
As Peeper assailed us, “Democracy demands participation. Supporting independent journalism is one such form of participation. History will record that SN fought many battles. But in its final battle for survival, it stood largely alone. And that is also applicable to the small handful of us who fought for democracy (1968 onwards) only to be victimized because we refused to support wrong doings by one government or the other over the last 35 years.
Yours truly,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram
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